Only The Fool
by Justanothersinger
Summary: Death is not the final destination. Kano Shuuya's untimely death was recognized by the higher powers of Heaven and he was granted a second chance. The only catch was that he needed to be watched over by a snarky, grumpy boy who's supposed to be a powerful angel. They can't stand the sight of each other. Oh no, they can't. Kanoshin Angel AU, requested.
1. Lets Himself Be Seen

**Only the Fool**

**Chapter 1: ...Lets Himself Be Seen.**

_Do you want to_ _live again?_

_Do you want another chance at life?_

Those questions...

Even though he was disoriented enough, his mind suspended in a state of disbelief with the news of his death, the fact that he was in Heaven and the fact that the boy in front of him was an angel, a real _angel, _those words echo in his mind, loud, demanding, distracting.

_Do you want to live?_

And despite the new knowledge that he was dead, despite the things that the angel told him, somehow...

Those questions...

Somehow he feels that those questions weren't for him.

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No matter how long he stares at his hand, it looks as solid as ever.

He still keeps expecting it to fade away, into something see-through...his body fade away until he's an actual ghost.

And finally...

"You're still here?"

He doesn't have to look over to see who it is. There's only one person now who can see him after all. Well...he supposed that _he _doesn't exactly count as a person. "Welcome home, dear." He says with that lilt in his tone that he knows irritates him beyond belief.

"I'm not home." Is the reply, predictably snappish, "And neither are you."

"Ah, so mean." He says, raising a hand to his forehead, tilting his head back against the sofa, the very picture of drama, "And here I was, waiting for your return oh so faithfully."

"Not like you can do anything else."

He sits up straight and finally looks over his way, grinning. "That's true. But you can't blame me for trying to find something new to do, right?"

"The only things you need to do right now are your missions, Kano." The other boy sighs, "And you have a new one now."

"That's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Kano points out, "You'll only go searching for me if I have a mission to do. It's not like I'm important for anything else."

"I don't need to go searching for you at all."

"Because you're an all-powerful angel with spooky mind-reading abilities." Kano makes mystical 'woo-woo' gestures with his hands.

"No, because I'm always watching over you."

_You say it like I can forget about it._

_As if I can, when you're the one stopping me from living again._

The angel is staring at him, a sour expression on his face. It seemed to be the only expression that he was capable of displaying. But his eyes had taken on that same, unreadable glint that sometimes made Kano think that he really was able to read Kano's mind.

"Let's go already." He finally sighs, turning back towards the door. Kano gets up and brushes the back of his jeans, straightening up to see the angel turn his back on him.

"Hey, can we come back here after the mission's done? Seto's finally bringing that girl, Mary over here."

"The longer we stay here, the longer you'll take and the less chance you have of seeing her." The angel says, back still turned. Kano hums and nods.

"Is it another delivery, Shintaro?"

"No. It's a surveillance mission. Should cheer you right up."

It did. "Hehhh...that's good."

His hands, which had been lowered to his sides, slowly unfurl. And glowing in his palms is a bright, white flame, sparks dancing off his fingertips and sinking into the floor.

"I was starting to worry that I would get rusty."

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He didn't know what he expected would happen when he died. It did seem obvious that he would be heading to Hell though.

But the Gods had other plans for him it seemed.

"Hey. Wake up."

That's odd. That voice was wrong. It wasn't the voice that he was used to hearing. It said those words that he wanted to hear, but for some reason the voice was wrong. No, not wrong...different.

He opens his eyes and the first thing he sees is red. A beautiful, heartbreaking red.

His eyes prick, his throat goes dry. And he doesn't know why.

It takes him a few seconds to realize that it was a person standing in front of him. A boy with dark hair, skin pale against the red of the jacket, dressed in clothes that appeared to be quite big for him, his lanky, thin frame lost in the fabric.

His eyes sweep over Kano's form and he frowns, "Good that you're awake now, but mind putting some clothes on?"

When he speaks, Kano realizes that his brain is sluggish; it takes more time to recognize his words. Almost as if he was watching TV with a lag of sorts between the display and the actual audio. He breathes in and realizes that his heart is slow as well, little more than a lead weight in his chest.

When he finally manages to understand, discomfort and shyness, his body's conditioned responses to this type of situation, they finally kick in and just when he wishes he was clothed, soft white light envelops his body, wrapping him in a comforting warmth.

It's only when his feet hit the ground does he realize that he had been suspended in air and the ache and pain that spreads like an irritable itch under his skin tells him that he was tied up there with strange ropes that seemed to bite at his flesh.

And his already-heavy heart sinks in dread.

He tugs at his clothes. They feel warm, freshly-ironed. The same coat for as long as he can remember...which is nothing. Nothing at all.

"Relax." The boy says coolly as he finally starts to panic, "Your memories are just messed up right now. You'll start remembering again soon."

"I..." He speaks in a voice that's more feeble than he'd planned, "What...where am I?"

And he could have imagined it...but for some reason, an expression of guilt flitted briefly across the boy's face.

"You are dead."

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"I'd really hoped we could have settled that without using your powers."

"That would make a nice change." Kano agrees.

The angel gives him a dirty look. "...You were unnecessarily ruthless back there."

"...I was having a bad day?" Kano asks, smiling at him apologetically.

"I told you before, didn't I? Though you weren't much of a sinner in your previous life, your actions would be judged?"

_I still think your judgement is lenient. _But he doesn't say the words out loud. For someone who doesn't even show his wings, Shintaro was quite a stickler for rules. Then again, Kano would do best to keep to them if he didn't want to die. Again. Or disappear forever. He never was clear on the subject.  
"And the worse the sinner, the more the power."

"And the more time that he spends on his Judgement." Shintaro looks back at Kano, "You complain a lot about the fact that I'm watching over you, be grateful that I'm not doing it for a literal eternity."  
"You're not?" Kano asks, mock-innocence marking his expression. Predictably, Shintaro huffs and turns away.

"...Ah, right. Here." He throws something small at Kano. When Kano catches it-with minimal fumbling this time, he was pleased to see-he sees a small candy in a childish yellow wrapper. There were even little bunnies on it.

"This my treat for today, Shintaro-kun?"

"You were the one who said you wanted more sweet things."

"Such a softie." Kano says with a snicker. When Shintaro glares at him, he continues, "Thank you, Shintaro-kun", in a sing-song voice.

"...I think I liked you better when you were freshly dead."

"So mean!" Kano says, pointing to himself, eyes wide and innocent, "Are you saying that I'm a bother for you?"

"Yes."

_I already know that, though. _"Then why are you sticking with me?"

"Not like I have much choice in the matter, don't I?" The words sting him more than Kano would care to admit. "You don't exactly do a good job of that, do you? You still leave me alone most of the time."  
"Is that what you think?" Shintaro asks and Kano feels something tug at his hair gently.

He turns around. Shintaro was standing closer than he realized.

Fingers move from his hair to his cheek, gentle, heart-achingly sweet and Shintaro's voice is strange, filled with emotion when he asks, "Do you think I would ever leave you all alone?"

And Kano's face shows no emotion, even if the glint in his eyes are sharp, curious and air leaves his lips in harried, quick breaths, his words steady.

"Yes. You'd leave me without a second thought."

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Mary was quiet and loud at the same time, if that was even possible.

She was perfect for Seto, who was quiet about most things, rarely loud.

Kano had said as much to him, but of course the words fell flat in the air with no-one to listen to them. They always did.

He still kept talking, because it's all he knows to do. "Oi, oi, Kido. If you keep talking bad about me, I may tell her some stuff on my own~like the time before when I found y-"

"Irrepressible, irresponsible and a shady guy all around." Kido finished with a huff, cutting him off. A habit of hers, even when he was alive. Mary looked uncomfortable to hear their dead brother being described in such an unflattering light, but Kano swore he almost saw the shine of tears in Kido's eyes for a brief second.  
She blinks, and the gleam is gone, she as cool as ever.

"You've learnt from the best, haven't you? Tsubomi?"

No reply. As always.

Seto chooses that time to walk over to them, smiling brightly. "Ah, Kido! Telling Mary about Kano?" When Mary nods, he laughs and leans back a little, adopting a nostalgic expression, "We have lots of stories about him...mostly because we were inseparable, you know? We knew each other since we were little kids!"  
"Really?" Mary asks, the picture of wide-eyed innocence. The kind of look that really made Kano want to mess with people.

Seto used to have that look a lot. Kido did at some points too.

There was _something _there...a certain sense of vulnerability that Kano didn't like to see.

He would do anything to wipe it away. Make them laugh at him, glare at him, anything to erase that little stolen moment, a deeper part of something that he couldn't bear to see.

When he saw that expression on Shintaro, saw it on someone that he'd always associated as grumpy, snarky, powerful, _strong..._

No. His expression was different. The vulnerability was there...but mixed in with that look in his eyes, Kano could almost delude himself into thinking that the care the angel showed for him was genuine.  
_What a scary thought._

Since that day that he woke up, Shintaro had been nothing more than cold and distant.

And yet, Kano still has to fight with himself. Pushing down the little voices in his mind, he tries to focus on the conversation at hand.

_Hah. I can't believe I'm saying this...but I've missed this feeling._

_I've never had much of a reason to lie or hide my emotions lately._

He looks up and sees that the sun had set. He also sees that the room was almost empty now.

Save for him and one other person; his father. His adoptive father at any rate.

The colors of the room grow sharp under the artificial light, the scent of food heavy and strong and Kano realizes that his hands are aflame with his power; swirling, white flames that somehow smell of crisp, pure snow.  
That's odd. Why would he...

He hears Kenjirou talk and looks up. But no-one else is in the room.

Only him.

"You're quite the potent soul, aren't you? Despite not being much of a sinner, your flame still burns bright."

Kenjirou is looking at him.

Kenjirou is talking to him.

Even amidst these revelations that stunned him silent and made his flames flicker, weakening with lack of control, he still manages to think;

_His eyes...they were never red. _

And those eyes are suddenly close, close enough to see the slits he had for pupils, before a hand fills his vision.

He's slammed against the wall, fingers squeezing tightly on his temples, the tips warm, uncomfortably warm, boring into his skull and setting his mind on fire and he just barely hears a cry that sounds like a wounded animal and realizes when he feels his throat hurt and air in his mouth, that he's the one crying.

_Hurts..._

_It...hurts..._

_I can't...I can't think..._

His flames flicker and die out.

He hears the man's voice from far away.

**_"You'll make a nice meal for me, boy."_**

Scared. He's scared.

_Ahh...it hurts..._

_Did my own death hurt this much?_

_I...can't remember._

_Will I die again? _

_No...no, I can't, I want to...live!_

_Please...I want to live! I want to see them all! My family...my family..._

"You'll still not ask for it, huh."

And the pressure is gone, the pain is gone and warmth touches his body through his skin and clothes. He looks up and sees familiar dark hair, a familiar scowl, but it's aimed away from him. And when he looks in that direction, his breath, frantic to restore the air in his body, stops.  
White wings, a beautiful, glittering white are shielding him away from his attacker, curled around their master's body and around him, a contrast to the stark red of his jacket, of the fabric surrounding the arms thrown around him.

It's so warm, that he wants to cry.

"What a creep." Shintaro mutters and his wings start to flare out, but the arms around Kano tighten in response.

And then, his wings come down and a light brighter than anything he'd ever experienced fills his eyes.

And he remembers nothing more.

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**This is more fun to write than I thought it'd be~**

**Yeah, this is multiple parts, don't worry. And yes, there shall be smut.**

**Oooooh yes there will be~**

**In any case, I still haven't decided the fate of my Cards of a Feather series, but this may end up joining it? Not sure. I usually like to keep requests separate from my own stuff but...well, we'll see.  
I'll be writing a set of stories for this AU as well at any rate. So, don't worry!**

**See you next chapter!**


	2. Angers The Devil

Only the Fool

Chapter 2: ...angers the Devil.

"Your name is Kano Shuuya. Or it used to be, before you died."

The supposed-angel-Kano doesn't see wings anywhere on him, but the boy seems to know more than he does, so Kano decided to listen to him for now-informs his this in a callous, uncaring tone. Scraping at his mind, incessantly reminding him of that unsettling new revelation. "You died at the age of sixteen. Shot to the head. Does this ring any bells for you?"

"...Not really."

"Hmph. Not surprising though, considering your manner of death. There was considerable trauma involved. So you may have to wait a while before you recover them completely."

"Alright." Kano says and the reluctance is obvious in his answer. This guy was seriously rubbing him off the wrong way. And from the sound of it, it seemed like the angel was going to shadow him everywhere while he...

Wait, what was he supposed to do here anyway?

"Like I've mentioned before, while you were lost in your daydreams", The angel says impatiently and Kano jumps guiltily, snapping to attention, "Your soul is currently on trial. Which means that you must clear several tasks before you are worthy to be judged and placed in Heaven. Or erased completely. Whatever works."

"So there isn't a Hell?"

"What do you think 'being erased' means?" The angel says simply. When Kano falls silent, he continues, "Hold out your hands."

"Huh?"

"Your hands."

Kano blinks and does as he's told. The angel stretches his own out and cups Kano's hands in his palms.

And then...and then suddenly a bright, blazing fire springs to life in them.

"...!"

"Don't panic." The angel says and Kano feels something cold snake up his leg, his shoulders. Pulling down on him.

From the corner of his eye, he could see silver chains slithering on his skin. Chaining him to the spot.

His heart sinks as well, the feeling of cold water splashing over him. And he could think again.

"How can I...how can I not panic?!" Kano demands, "My hands are on fire!"

Unexpectedly, the angel snickers at that. "They are. But do you feel anything?"

Kano frowns and looks back down. Strangely enough, he doesn't.

"They can't hurt you. Because they're your own power."

"My power?"

"It's what your spirit is made of. I'm merely channeling it into this fire. It won't do you any harm because this light is exactly what you are right now."

"I'm...you're saying I'm made of light or something? Are we all like that?"

"That light is your soul's essence. It usually has to do with how you died. Since your death was sudden, your body was preserved pretty well and the essence that had been tied to it during your life managed to form the 'soul' almost unscathed. Often we see 'half-souls', that is, souls that were unable to have a human form and instead took on the form of will-o-wisps. Those little fireballs that you see in legends. Still others that had been cremated are like you, but instead are composed of ash, not essence. Since the body is completely destroyed."

"I...see."

"But that's strange. I didn't expect such a bright, potent flame from you. And the color is unusual too."

"I hear that a lot."

The angel blinks and stares at him with a raised eyebrow. "...What."

Kano just snickers at that reaction.

"...I see you're feeling better." The angel says finally, "Which is good. We're going to need to start on a job right away."

"Uh, whoa whoa whoa. Wait a minute. I just died; don't I get a little bit of a break?"

"Sure. If you're fine with being erased."

"..."

"Don't worry. This one won't take too much out of you." The angel says and Kano supposes that it's meant to be reassuring. It's phrased in a rather unfortunate way that makes it seem like he's belittling Kano's ability though and so, Kano finds himself growing more annoyed by the minute.

"Lucky me." He says with a sigh.

"You have a strange smile." The angel says in return.

"Eh? How so?"

And of course, he doesn't elaborate. "Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner you can leave."

"Leave for where?"

The angel was the one smiling now. And Kano didn't know how strange his own smile was, but he was pretty sure it didn't make his skin crawl, his breath stop.

"Where do you think?"

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The light is bright and warm on his fingertips. Soft too.

It's a warmth that pricks at his chest and brings tears to his eyes.

But everywhere else, he felt cold.

His lips were cracked, his tongue dry.

His stomach was weighed down with the pain of ravenous hunger.

Where was this? He was surrounded by white.

He couldn't see anything. Hear anything. Feel anything.

He felt anxious.

Where was he?

Where...no...

No...

He didn't like this.

His eyes anxiously scan the bright white horizon for...something. Anything.

...! There! There's something there.

A strange depression slightly to the right of him. Like an ink dot on paper, the contrast was blurred and strangely sharp at the same time. It looked strangely suspicious.

But he didn't care.

Anything was better than this maddening brightness.

But even as he took a step, something pulled at his feet.

Something cold.

"...no..."

The warmth near his hands is more...more potent now? It cuts through the mind-numbing cold.

"...a..."

A voice calling him.

He...he knows that voice!

He knows it, but the name of the owner slips past his numb tongue.

"Don't...!"

He knows this voice...

It's coming from the deep, dark hole.

"Don't...leave me!"

His hand stretches forward, almost of its own accord.

**_"Stop."_**

Another voice that he knows.

The warmth in his hands blankets his entire torso know.

When he looks down, he sees them. Arms wrapped around his body. Almost transparent, a shimmery white.

**_"Don't go there." _**

Kano hears the fear in that voice. Strange. It's strange.

Kano's never heard it before.

He always seemed so confident. So powerful.

...He?

Who's 'he'?

Kano looks back down at his hands.

Those strange, translucent hands were no longer there. Instead...

Instead his arms were covered with blood.

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"! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

He's hit with the sensation of falling before something grabs him roughly.

"Kano!"

"Blood...blood!"

"Kano, calm down!"

"Ah..."

His shoulders are shaken roughly, fingers on his shoulders tight enough to bruise.

He groans from the pain and his heart nearly stops from the shock.

The shock?

The pain...this pain is unfamiliar. Why was it unfamiliar?

Shouldn't he...know this? It should be familiar.

"S-stop...hurts..." Immediately, the pressure lightens and the shaking stops.

"...Sorry."

A palm on his forehead. "How do you feel?"

"Not good. At all." He whimpers, "I hurt...everywhere."

"You're experiencing pain?"

"Mmhm."

He hears a soft curse and opens his eyes.

A bright red that tears at his heart fills his vision.

"This is..."

"Kano?"

"Shintaro? What is...what are you...?" Oh _god, _his head ached. His eyes itched. His cheeks were wet and cold. Fabric in his fingers, soft wool.

Something wipes at his cheek. The red.

Shintaro's jersey.

Kano looks at the angel's normal sour expression and then back at the bit of jersey in his hand before he comments, "...Heh. This is bordeline nightmare territory."

His voice was still weak and crumbling into air, but the tone is still quite evident.

"You're wide awake unfortunately." Gone was the gentle tone; back to his normal dry one.

"Awww. You being nice was actually kinda...nice."

"I wasn't being nice."

"You're stroking my hair right now. And...wait." Kano pauses and looks down, "...Am I...sitting on your lap?"

"..."

"Shintaro, why am I sitting on your lap?" Kano's slightly proud for maintaining a neutral tone.

"..."  
"Shintaro? Hey." Kano says and looks up at him.

"...Not like I had a choice."

"Huh?

"I said, it's not like I had a choice! I was trying to make sure your soul was secure and you couldn't be tainted further. It's all I can do just to keep the taint at bay for you." He says, sounding as embarrassed as Kano felt. Oh, there was a slight blush on his cheeks too.

...Honestly, the very idea of it should have disturbed Kano to no end. This serious, stoic asshole of an angel _blushing_?

But the sight of it was...oddly endearing. Unbelievably so.

A smirk crept up on Kano's face. Slightly painful through cracked lips. But he doesn't care, he continues, spurred on by this show of human nature, "Hehhhh...what're you thinking about?"

"W-what?"

"Were you hoping that I'd be out of it for a little while longer? So you could carry out whatever devious plans you had for me?"

"Wha-no!" Shintaro sputtered, face bright red now, "No, I didn't! What are you saying, I told you it was to keep you safe from the taint!"

Oooh, this was much more fun than he thought it would be. Though Kano did make it a point to be as irritating to Shintaro as possible, rarely had he pulled it off so well.

"Ah, I feel kinda violated~"

"**_Stop _**already! Gods...!"

But as amusing as this situation was, something about the way Shintaro said that word grabbed Kano's interest. "What was that you said earlier? That word...'taint'? What's that mean?"

"Ah...about that." Shintaro says and he's back to his normal self...albeit with a fairly unusual expression of discomfort, "Look at your hands, Kano."

Kano does and flinches back in horror at what he sees.

"This is...what is this?!"

Over his fingers to his palms and straining to his wrists was an inky blackness with a greasy shine. He moves his fingers and he sees the blackness move with it; detaching with the movement to bob in the air before reattaching itself back to its skin.

"Taint, Kano. Your soul is tainted."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

What had happened to him?

He does.

A cruel smile on a kind face, strange and familiar eyes meeting his.

"Dad..."

"Your father was possessed by a malevolent spirit." Shintaro says in a grim tone, "We call them 'snakes'. The snake seemed to have infected you with its venom and...the effects are mutating at an incredibly fast rate."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me show you."

Shintaro takes a deep breath and takes Kano's hands in his.

In the back of Kano's mind, a memory stirs to life.

The memory felt warm. It soothed Kano's straining heart.

And as Shintaro exhales, the area around his back glows a bright, beautiful white.

It wasn't blinding or uncomfortable in the slightest. It filled his very being with warmth and awe.

The light stretches out towards him, gradually taking shape. From light to air to feather, Shintaro's wings solidified, but they never lost their ethereal glow.

"Beautiful." Is what Kano blurts out before he realizes who he's talking to and clamps his mouth shut.

Shintaro looks surprised at the sudden compliment, before a genuine smile breaks out on his face.,

"Thank you. But we need to focus on our dilemma. Kano, look at your hands."

Kano managed to tear his eyes off of his wings and looked back to his own hands.

...Was it his imagination or was the darkness shrinking away from the light?

"I can make it recede, but not for very long." Shintaro says, "And the effects that have shown already are quite alarming."  
"Effects?"

"Kano, think. Have you slept, even once, since you became a spirit?"

The realization hits Kano hard, like a punch to the gut that echoes with the pain in his head.

"You don't need to, so you never did. Same goes for food or water. And...pain. Apart from the occasional lollipop you eat after a mission-though you never honestly had a _need _to eat-you've never once done any of these."

"So I'm...not supposed to feel this? This is making me feel again?" Kano asks slowly, looking back at the taint.

"Yes. And I...I thought I'd saved you before the effects took hold and..." Shintaro gritted his teeth and ducked his head, "...I couldn't do much. For now, we must keep the effects at bay while the other angels track down the source of this sin."

"The source?"

"You're not the only one that had been infected. This had been a recurring problem these recent years."

"What had happened to them? The souls that were infected?"

"..."

"Shintaro?"

"They'd been erased. Every single one of them."

Kano swears he feels his long-dead-heart stop beating again.

"They felt these symptoms about 3 or so hours after they were infected. Developed hunger, thirst, sensitivity. After such a long time of feeling nothing, the sheer shock of these sensations drove them near insanity. It wasn't long before..."

"They committed an unforgivable sin and fell into hell."

"Yes."

"Is that what will happen to me?"

"No." There's force behind Shintaro's words now. When he looks back at him, his eyes are sharp, cutting, the emotion in them clear as the sky is blue.

He had only ever seen irritation on him. Anger...only once.

It was a look that didn't suit him.

And because of that...it scared Kano.

"I will not let that happen to you."

"...From the way you're talking, it's already too late."

"No, it's not. If we can find the source ourselves and finish it off, you won't be erased."

Kano raised an eyebrow, "Find it ourselves?"

"Although I've said that they're looking for the source right now, it's not a high enough priority that they'll keep it above all else. We haven't lost that many souls. And that's not even to mention the state your father's body must be in...or your siblings."

His siblings. His family.

The party from earlier flashes before his eyes. Their smiles from earlier.

No...

No...he can't lose them...no!

"We need to find him right away!" Kano says urgently, clutching at Shintaro's jacket.

"Yeah. Can you stand?"

"I think I can...ugh!"

Even as he wobbled to his feet, he felt a shot of pain up his spine. He stumbled before Shintaro steadied him.

"Easy. I think you should rest for a bit."

"But we need to keep moving!"

"I didn't say we'd stay still." Shintaro said and yanked him close even as his wings spread out in full.

"Gah!"

"Hold on."

They left the ground with a powerful gust of air and Shintaro's arms are tight like a vice on his body as they ascended high into the night sky.

Seeing the deep blue and the stars in his reach, Kano felt a sudden, childish urge to reach out and touch them.

"Why do you hide them?" He asks. He didn't even need to clarify what.

The day that he'd awoke as a spirit, the first of the few questions he ever asked Shintaro were 'Where are your wings?'.

He'd never forgotten the look on his face.

Because that was the only time Shintaro had ever gotten angry at him.

"...Hey, Kano. Have you ever wondered what happens to the angel supposed to guard the soul from erasure?"

"Huh?"

"I did too." Is all Shintaro says before he continues, "Come on. We'll start searching at your house. Check if your siblings are ok."

"...All right."

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End file.
